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The Beanie Babies
The Beanie Babies is a Jicamese children's television series based on the line of stuffed animals of the same name. It premiered on February 2, 1996 on Station Eight during the height of the Beanie Baby craze. With over 700 episodes and 23 seasons, The Beanie Babies is one of Station Eight's longest running shows. The series is about Miss Daisy, a teacher and her class who learn valuable lessons from the titular Beanie Babies, who are small creatures that live inside of the "magic toy box". The show was originally promoted through Ty Jicama's website until 1999. Format Each episode does not strictly follow the same format, but many episodes begin with Miss Daisy introducing the Beanie Babies to her class. The Beanie Babies sing songs along with Miss Daisy and teach the class important morals. Afterwards, Miss Daisy will either announce snack time or play time depending on the episode. After the children had fun, Miss Daisy and the Beanie Babies would play a game with the children. At the end of the episode, they would sing "See You Later" and wave goodbye to the camera. Characters The hostess, Miss Daisy is the only human character to remain from the show's start. The number of puppet characters had always varied through the years until 2008, except for the original six. These puppet characters are: *'Peanut:' She is a very kind and caring royal blue elephant who was the first Beanie Baby introduced on-screen. *'Cubbie:' He is a shy bear with a great sense of humor. In one episode, it is revealed that his favorite snack is brockli and cheese bites. *'Chocolate:' He is a very hyper moose with a big apetite and can eat almost anything. *'Web:' She can be very michevious at times, but usually apologizes and fixes the problems she has caused. *'Splash:' He is very friendly around others and is also known for being a very good swimmer. *'Chilly:' She is polar bear who can get excited at times. History and production Ty Warner wanted to expand his Beanie Baby empire after they suddenly became a hit in 1995. He thought of making a television series out of it, however due to FCC regulations on children's programming and his refusal to have it air on cable, Ty realized that it would be better if the show was produced in foreign market. He randomly chose Jicama and made offers to various television networks and stations, but many declined. However, Station Eight in Port Hefner accepted his offer. Ty originally wanted the show to be a live-action cartoon hybrid, but executives wanted a more Romper Room-like feel to it and shortly afterwards, The Beanie Babies produced its first episode. The show helped introduce Beanie Babies to a Jicamese audience and then Jicama became the largest Beanie Baby market besides the United States. However, some groups criticized the show for being "one big, 30-minute commercial to help sell Beanie Babies". Despite this, Beanie Babies grew in popularity and the show became more successful. The popularity of the show declined in the 2000s, due to the Beanie Babies' decline in sales. Despite the decline, hostess Daisy Bisset persuaded Station Eight to keep the show running because "it still makes children smile". In 2008, the show stopped advertising Beanie Babies, due to the original line being mostly discontinued. This change was significantl because many episodes emphasized on the toys that were advertised on the show. The change also meant the removal of the magic toy box, however it was later reinstated due to complaints from both children and parents. However the change was praised by concerned groups who were against advertising towards children. The show celebrated its 20th anniversary in February 2016 by airing an hour long special. As of 2019, the series still produces episodes in standard definition besides the 20th anniversary special, due to it being cheaper. In August 2019, Miss Daisy announced that the show was going to retooled in 2020. The retool included redesigned puppets and new characters. In an interview, Miss Daisy stated that, "It was originally a 30-minute commercial to sell Beanie Bavies on Ty's website. However I decided to give the show life and added more educational value. It basically became the new Romper Room. The format is getting old and I need to breathe new life into it." Miss Daisy later announced in September 2019, that the new title of the show would be The Beanie Babies & Friends Show. Miss Daisy has stated multiple times that the show might not continue after her retirement, however she has never denied the fact someone else might take over. Criticism and controversy Due to the series being based on a line of stuffed toys, many organizations has critized the show for being "a 30-minute commercial". However. criticism has decreased over the years as the show stopped emphasizing on the Beanie Babies toy line. One such group, The KidVid Advocacy of Jicama started a campaign to cancel the show and produced anti-Beanie Baby posters. However, Ty threatened legal action against it and the group stopped their campaign shortly after. Despite the controversy, the show has been praised in later years for it's ability to teach children basic needs. The Beanie Babies & Friends Show In 2020, the show was overhauled and became The Beanie Babies & Friends Show. The original six received redesigns and their roles were increased. The revamped set resembled a cross between an old fashioned playroom and a modern daycare. However, Miss Daisy's role remained the same. Other changes included new graphics, the addition of a few minor characters and the rearranged format. Broadcast history The series originally aired on Friday nights at 8 p.m. from its debut in 1996 to 1999. In 2000, it moved to a Saturday morning 10 a.m. time-slot and remained there until 2008. The show has been airing new episodes on Friday mornings at 9 a.m. since 2008. Shortly after Station Eight broadcast the first episode of The Beanie Babies, multiple Jicamese television networks started airing it as well. This lasted until 1999, when Ty breifly discontinued Beanie Babies. In 2018, reruns of season 13-16 briefly aired on Universal Kids in the United States. Episode numbers The BeanieMania Years *Season 1 (1996) - 30 *Season 2 (1997) - 26 *Season 3 (1998-99) - 42 *Season 4 (1999) - 28 The Silver Years *Season 5 (2000) - 30 *Season 6 (2001) - 34 *Season 7 (2002) - 24 *Season 8 (2003) - 30 *Season 9 (2004-05) - 40 *Season 10 (2006) - 38 *Season 11 (2007) - 24 *Season 12 (2007) - 22 The Independent Years *Season 13 (2008) - 28 *Season 14 (2009) - 26 *Season 15 (2010) - 30 *Season 16 (2011) - 32 *Season 17 (2012) - 28 *Season 18 (2013-14) - 46 *Season 19 (2015) - 28 The Stable Years *Season 20 (2016) - 50 *Season 21 (2017-18) - 44 *Season 22 (2018) - 30 *Season 23 (2019) - 32 The Revamp Years *Season 24 (2020) - 26 *Season 25 (2021) - 116 *Season 26 (2022) - 116 See also *Beanie Babies *Romper Room